To Infinity
by Nail Strafer
Summary: After three decades, Mr. Shakedown has finally managed to fund his training journey into outer space, and invites Kiryu to come along on his new starship. Little does Kiryu know where Mr. Shakedown's training destination is...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Kiryu walked along Tenkachi Street in Kamurocho, Tokyo, taking a long drag on his cigarette, before blowing out a large cloud of smoke. Was only another night in Kamurocho really, strolling about without a care in the world. Like most nights, he didn't have a particular destination in mind, preferring to wander about and see what he came across. The streets bustled with people, some looking like they were in a hurry, while others slowed down to enter the various shops, restaurants, and other establishments. A man with a sign called out the deals at a nearby electronics store. Meanwhile, hosts stood outside the Stardust host club, trying to woo women inside. Yuya was there in his maroon suit, calling out to a group of girls, but was unsuccessful at bringing them in. However, Yuya smiled and waved to Kiryu, who returned the gesture as he passed.

Someone brushed past him, the man's arm almost knocking him down. Not a mean feat with how tall Kiryu was himself, so that got his attention.

"Oi…" Kiryu called out, turning around.

The man who bumped him was _huge_, wearing a brown sport coat, black slacks, glasses, and a checkered fedora… "Hmm?" Kiryu looked closer. The fedora looked familiar. He could have sworn he remembered it from somewhere.

"Kazuma…Kiryu…?" The huge man leaned over to look at him, studying him. Kiryu sure wasn't used to being stared down at, given his own impressive height. But this big lug had to be at least two and a half meters tall. Suddenly, the large man got a big smile on his face. "Kiryu-san, it is you!"

**Substory #10,462 – To Infinity…**

_Hmm…there's only a small number of people I know that are guy's height. _"You are…" His memory fired on overdrive, taking him all the way back to the eighties. "Hiroya Egashira, yes? Mr. Shakedown?"

"So you remember me too!" Hiroya laughed.

"Kind of hard to forget a huge man who runs around shaking down people so he can train on mountains and islands to become the strongest organism in the universe." Kiryu smirked. "Still saving up for that training trip to space? That was…what? Over three decades ago?"

"Oh, that?" Hiroya laughed. "Old news. I saved up the money to build a spaceship years ago. Already made several trips up there!" He pointed his finger at the night sky.

"_Nani?!_" Kiryu's eyes widened. "You did it?!"

"If you like, I can show you." Hiroya put on a huge grin. "Had the launch pad set up on the private island I had already purchased for training before. What do you say?"

Kiryu scratched his chin. This could be total nonsense for all he knew, but all the same he found himself intrigued.

_\- Accuse him of lying_

_* Go with him _

_Well, I've heard taller tales spun around these parts… Guess I could go check it out. _Kiryu smiled. "All right, lead the way."

"Excellent, Kiryu-san!" Hiroya laughed, clapping his hands, the noise so loud it sounded like a thunderclap. "Perhaps you could train with me while we are up there. I've learned a lot since the last time we fought!"

"Um, sure…" Training was the last thing on his mind, to be truthful. In reality, Kiryu had never seen any of these private islands, private mountains, wild animals and whatnot Hiroya claimed to have purchased with his ill-gotten gains, and over the decades he'd always been curious to see if any of it was real.

"I'll call my private helicopter now." Hiroya pulled out his phone to call someone. Within seconds he had them on the line. "Yes. Pick us up. Yes, right now! In Theater Square! I don't care if people are there! They'll scatter when they see you coming! I'll pay off the police later, just land!"

The distinct whump of helicopter blades sounded in the distance. _Whoa, that was fast. _Kiryu looked up as the sound grew louder, spotting a helicopter descending behind the buildings, where he knew Theater Square was. Pedestrians screamed and ran the other way, hurrying to escape the strong wind as others took cover behind whatever they could find. Planted bushes around the area billowed in the wind, as did the flags advertising businesses.

"Let's go, Kiryu!" Hiroya waved for him to follow, the giant running down the street.

Kiryu gulped, jogging after him. Perhaps he wasn't exaggerating about the shaking down after all. _What have I gotten myself into now?_

Several hours later, the chopper descended towards a forested island off the coast of Hokkaido. On the side facing the Pacific Ocean, Kiryu noticed a large plot of land cleared away to create a small settlement. A helicopter pad, a small wooden house, a farming plot along with a pen for livestock…and a launching pad, with a spaceship next to a launching tower. Kiryu's jaw dropped. "_Sonna bakana…_" He'd only ever seen real life spaceships on the news, like back in the eighties and nineties when America launched their space shuttles. Seeing that had not prepared him for how _huge _a spaceship was in person. The thing towered overhead as the helicopter descended to the landing pad.

Kiryu couldn't speak anymore, shaky as he looked at the rocket.

_He meant every word about me going into space to train with him?! I don't know about this… Being stuck up in space with Mr. Shakedown in this ship for days, weeks, or months?! And that's even ignoring the whole logistics of training in zero gravity._ _Not to mention, I've seen some wild things over the decades living in Kamurocho, but never anything on a scale like this! And I thought Miracle Johnson and his zombies would be impossible to top, or the time I fought five grown men dressed up as babies in a 'daycare'… _

"I take it from your face,you're impressed?" Hiroya seemed to love his astonishment.

"Umm…" Kiryu struggled to find the words. "It's uh… It's something, that's for sure. You've sure been doing a lot of shaking down."

Hiroya laughed, as the helicopter landed and he slid the door open. "I did the math, and it was near as much as half the gross domestic product of Japan."

He walked towards the launch pad, Kiryu following in step. Red-suited techs ran about the area, preparing the ship for launch. One man hooked up a fuel line to the ship's tanks, while another with a tablet called out directions to the others. Kiryu was overwhelmed and lost as he watched all of them, clueless as to what they were doing. He never was one for science or anything technical. He hadn't even seen any movies set in space, and everyone was always shocked when he told them that.

Kiryu shook his head.

"Egashira-san!" a fresh-faced tech approached, handing him a space suit and helmet. "About to go up again?"

"_Arigato_, Abe-san!" He accepted the suit from the tech. "Do you have the suit I requested for Kiryu-san as well?"

"Right here!" The man held out another suit to Kiryu.

Confused, Kiryu held the heavy clothing in front of him, but he realized something. "Hold on. We only met a few hours ago. You already had a suit made for me? It wasn't a coincidence you ran into me, was it?"

"Oh no, it was!" Hiroya laughed, sounding nervous. "I, uh...called ahead to have one made for you. Cost me hundreds of millions of yen, but-but I do not mind if it means you'll become a better opponent for me!"

Kiryu found Hiroya's nervousness odd as he eyed the clothing, holding it up as he looked at it from all angles. _This is absurd. I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't holding it right now… _

"So Kiryu-san, ready to go to the stars?" Hiroya pointed his finger up again.

Kiryu had let himself get talked into some pretty dumb things before. Like that one time he accidentally ended up doing voice acting for a _yaoi _video game, or becoming the mascot Ono Michio for the town Onomichi… But this seemed to be on a whole other level of dumb. He was about to climb into a spaceship with a man who'd mugged people to build the thing. Would this ship even work? Muggers stalking the streets of Kamurocho weren't exactly known for their expertise on space travel after all…

_\- No thanks, I want to stay on Earth._

_ * To infinity___…_and beyond!_

Kiryu sighed, lowering his head as he closed his eyes. _You know me… I never back down from a challenge. _With reluctance, Kiryu nodded. "Okay, let's go."

"All right!" Hiroya fist pumped. "Let us get underway, Kiryu-san! And don't worry about the long trip. We'll be put in hypersleep while we go to my favorite training destination. It'll feel like you've woken up and arrived almost right after you've gone to sleep."

Kiryu was afraid to ask, but… "Where are we going?"

"A planet called Corneria, in the Lylat System."

~X~

True to his word, as soon as Kiryu's head hit the pillow in the hypersleep chamber, it seemed Hiroya was knocking on the window. "Wake up, sleepyhead! We made it!"

Kiryu rubbed his eyes, looking up through the foggy glass at the gigantic man. Hiroya was as giddy as a school boy. Kiryu shook his head a few times, collecting himself.

As the sleep chamber's door opened, Hiroya extended a hand. "Here you are!" The giant man reached down, yanking Kiryu off the bed as easily as if he were a child. "And here are your clothes."

Kiryu found his gray suit and red shirt shoved into his hands, staring at them bewildered. A strange gray metal box rested on top of the clothes, about the size of a deck of cards.

"What's this?" Kiryu picked it up.

"A universal translator. The locals around here don't speak Japanese or any Earth language, so you'll need this to understand them. We're lucky they manufacture these locally. Anyway, make sure you switch it on after you get dressed. We've got things to do, Kiryu-san!"

His mind still in a daze, Kiryu stepped into a nearby alcove, discarding the space suit and slipping back into his regular outfit. Though wearing these familiar clothes helped reorient him, what waited for him once he stepped out of this ship? He'd never even been outside of Japan before, let alone Earth. Clipping the strange box to his belt, Kiryu pressed a button on the side. A green light lit up, but otherwise the box did nothing. Was it working?

"Hurry up!" Hiroya waved for him to follow, standing at a small door where sunlight streamed in from outside. _Almost like we're still on Earth. What if I laid my head on the pillow and the 'ship' didn't go anywhere? _The giant man ducked to get through hatchway, stepping outside. As Kiryu adjusted his collar, he sighed, looking at the 'universal translator' again. _I bet this was nothing but a prank. Hiroya's stringing me along and he's about to show how stupid I was to believe him. Oh well. Let's get this overwith._

Ducking, Kiryu stepped out into the sunlight, expecting to see the Pacific Ocean again. He did hear the dull roar of something, as his eyes adjusted to the light, but it wasn't the sound of water crashing against rocks. Were those jet engines?

As the white faded, he found himself standing on a concrete launch pad, a massive city bustling around him. _Are we back in Tokyo? _ White high rises filled the air around him, done up in shining metal and glass that caught the midday sun, the blue skies contrasting brilliantly against them. _But aren't these buildings a little too tall, even for Tokyo?_ Small dots flitted between the buildings, in little lines that resembled trails of ants flying in the air. What were those? One of the gray dots separated from the line and approached closer, becoming larger.

It turned out to be _another _spaceship, coming in for a landing on a different landing pad a few rows over. And more starships filled the space all around Kiryu. _I don't think this is a prank anymore…_

A hiss sounded behind Kiryu, followed up by the noise of something being screwed shut. Kiryu turned around to see a man in a maintenance uniform connecting some sort of hose to an outlet on Hiroya's starship. Except…why did the man have a fluffy dog tail stuck to his pants? The orange furred appendage curled in on itself, like a Shiba Inu's tail.

"_Sumimasen,_" Kiryu said.

The man turned around and he had the face of a Shiba Inu too, along with furred paws for hands. Was it some kind of costume? The man must have spent a fortune on it, because it looked so realistic.

"Can I help you?" the person asked. Kiryu looked inside the mouth as the person spoke. Even the mouth's interior looked realistic, with what appeared to be genuine slobber and sharp teeth. The tail even wagged behind the person. It was unnerving…

"Umm…" He had a feeling he was going to regret asking this, but did it anyway. "Why are you wearing a mask while you work?"

"A mask?" And then the dog mask's eyes widened in surprise, brow furrowed in confusion, head tilting_…_like a real dog. As real as Mame back at the Morning Glory Orphanage in Okinawa… "I'm not wearing a mask, sir. What are you talking about?"

Kiryu couldn't speak, standing there in stunned silence for a moment before he recollected himself. This person wasn't someone in a dog costume. It was an actual dog. A real life, genuine dog. Although not any kind of dog he'd ever seen before… He didn't know of any dogs on Earth who walked around on two feet and spoke like humans, outside of cartoons at least. It reminded him of that one movie Haruka had taken him to see, with the fox hustler and bunny cop trying to solve a case of predators going feral, called Zooarium or something.

"Kiryu-san!" Hiroya called from further down the gangway. "What are you doing? Let's go!"

Kiryu glanced back at Hiroya, before returning one more look to the dog person. "Umm…never mind. _Arigato_." He gave a short bow.

And with that he took off after Hiroya-san. Soon after they left the spaceport, Hiroya hailed a cab, driven by another one of those dog people. This one was a golden retriever. Seeing a dog driving a car was strange enough, but Kiryu couldn't stop looking outside at the city. A staggering number of dog people filled the sidewalks, all of them also wearing clothes and doing human-like things. He even recognized most of the breeds, plus various other species like felines, monkeys, and birds. _Okay… Maybe I'm high on something right now. I'm still in that 'sleep chamber' and Hiroya pumped it full of drugs. _

Nonetheless Kiryu couldn't help but ask more questions. "Your new training location is a planet of dog people?" Kiryu whispered to Hiroya next to him.

"Don't call them that!" Hiroya hissed, glancing between Kiryu and their driver. "They don't like it. They're Cornerians, okay? You got me?"

_Cornerians. _He stroked his chin. _ These dogs have a nationality too?_

They pulled into a part of town that had a slightly shadier look to it, with the narrower streets and the signs clinging to the sides of the buildings, making for a busy spectacle overhead. Was it him or did this neighborhood look familiar? He eyed all of the businesses along the streets Hostess clubs, strip clubs, bars, restaurants...all with their own signs and advertising, the streets and walls filled with a dizzying array of colors and shapes.

"We're here, sirs." The golden retriever pulled the car to a stop on a tree-lined street.

Hiroya paid the man and the car drove away, leaving Kiryu and Hiroya standing on the side of the road. Kiryu still couldn't stop looking around in amazement.

"This is like…"

"Kamurocho, no?" Hiroya smiled. "Tis why I gravitated to this place. Anyway, I need to go meet with my sparring partners to sort something out. The bears, gorillas, and rhinos here are much better training partners than any humans back on earth. Far stronger and more resilient."

"Wait, what?" Kiryu did a double take. "There are even bear, gorilla, and rhino people here? This place _is _Zooarium!"

Hiroya gave him another dirty look for referring to them that way, but he let it go. "Kiryu-san, would you like to look around some before we meet up later?"

Kiryu didn't know about being left alone in a place like this. He looked around, still seeing more of the dog people wandering about, some of them giving him odd looks. Not too long ago he thought it would be a strange experience to visit a place outside of Japan, but he imagined he'd visit France or America or something. Corneria wasn't what he had in mind. Would it be okay to wander around on an alien planet he knew nothing about?

_Then again, I don't think I need to worry too much about it. if there were an award for it, I would win the title of Most Mugged Man on Earth, and yet I still have all of my teeth. _Kiryu nodded. "Okay, I can do that. Where will we meet?"

"Theater Square."

"They have a Theater Square too?" Kiryu raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, yes, of course! I will meet you there in about two hours. Bye for now, Kiryu-san!"

And with that, Hiroya jogged away, almost skipping as he ran. Kiryu almost wanted to call out to ask why he was in such a hurry, but the giant man was soon gone, leaving Kiryu by himself.

Well, what to do for the next two hours, in a place filled with dog people? Sure, Hiroya insisted they were _Cornerians _but Kiryu still found the whole concept bizarre. At least they seemed friendly enough to talk to, from what he'd seen so far. _Hope none of them try licking my face though. _

Sighing, Kiryu looked around the street, gazing at the various establishments packed tight together, all of them competing for small footprints of real estate. Not that different from home. _They even have dominatrix clubs... _Kiryu found his eyes wandering over to a female wolf with purple-dyed fur, standing outside her establishment in a revealing, all black outfit that showed a lot of skin...err, fur. Her breasts stood out prominently, as she tapped a short whip in her hand. Kiryu winced, looking at her. _Should I be turned on by that? I can't tell… Anyway, I don't think I'll go that way._

But how to decide which way he _would _go?

Kiryu looked at his feet, spotting a stray dead branch that had fallen to the pavement from a nearby tree. He picked it up and threw it into the air. The branch landed on its end, bounced off the pavement once, and settled to where the tip pointed along a side street street lined with restaurants and convenience stores.

_Guess I'll head that way. Good a direction as any right now…_

"Excuse me!"

The voice was unfamiliar to Kiryu's ears. He turned around to see someone running towards him. Instead of a dog, this man appeared to be a fox, given away by his ruddy red fur, bushy tail, pointed ears, and keen muzzle. He wore a silver jacket that looked like it belonged in a pilot's getup, along with a red scarf, a black undershirt, green flight pants, and gray boots. The fox stopped next to Kiryu, craning his head up so they could meet each other's eyes. Though his voice sounded like an adult's, this vulpine almost looked cute with his tiny appearance. He could be some kind of character from a cartoon or video game aimed at kids.

Kiryu leaned forward, needing to put his hands on his knees. "Can I help you, _kitsune-san?_" He never thought he'd be talking to a fox like this, that was for sure.

"Kitsune-san?" the canine tilted his head. He glanced at Kiryu's face. "Oh, I'm sorry. You're…not from around here, are you? What species are you, anyway?"

_What a bizarre question. Then again I've never met talking animals before._ "Um, human."

"Is that some kind of ape?" Fox kept studying him. "You look like one of them."

_I swear I must be on drugs. This conversation is too damn weird to be real. _"Uh, I suppose I am an ape, yes." Weirdest sentence Kiryu had ever found himself saying, and that was saying something.

"Where are you from?"

"Japan."

"Is that a planet?"

Kiryu stifled a laugh. He'd forgotten he wasn't on his home planet anymore. "No, Japan is a country on the planet Earth."

"Huh, never heard of that place. So humans come from there?"

Kiryu nodded. "To be fair, I didn't know about Corneria until a short while ago. Anyway, I'm Kazuma Kiryu. What's your name?"

"Fox McCloud."

_A fox named Fox, huh? _Kiryu didn't say anything, but he found that amusing. "So what did you need?"

"I got a tip that there's a new criminal gang growing in this area. Supposedly, Wolf O'Donnell is setting up a branch of his gang here."

Kiryu couldn't resist anymore, a big grin on his face. "So you're a fox named Fox. And that guy's probably a wolf named Wolf and—"

"Yeah I know. I get that a lot." Fox rolled his eyes, his ears curling back in annoyance. "Kinda sick of the jokes."

Kiryu couldn't help but watch the way this fox's ears were so expressive. It freaked him out, and yet also looked adorable. Anyway, he still couldn't get over the names these people had. _Some fox dad out there decided to name his son Fox, and some wolf dad named his son Wolf. _ _What would happen if I changed Haruka's name to Human?_

"Anyway, I was told this gang liked to strut around this part of town dressed up in fancy suits." He took a second look at Kiryu. "Um, kind of like yours."

Kiryu went silent. _Might be reaching with this next question, but I need to ask anyway. _"Do they call themselves yakuza?"

Fox was surprised. "How did you know?"

Now it was Kiryu's turn to be surprised. "Wait, you're telling me I was right? There's a yakuza syndicate here?!"

"You're not one of them, are you?"

"No, I'm not." While it was a common occurrence for him back home to be mistaken as active yakuza, he sure didn't expect the same thing to happen this far away from Japan. Seemed like he could never escape from that misconception no matter where he went. Kiryu looked up, looking behind Fox. "Um, I think those guys might be, though."

A group of dogs strutted down the street towards them. They all wore nice suits, nice shoes, chains, smart looking hair… And yet despite being dressed to the nines, they gave off a dangerous vibe. He could see how they gazed around the street with a smug air of superiority, as if hoping someone would attack them so they could have some fun with a fight. What a bizarrely familiar sight. One of them—an akita with dark fur and wearing a purple suit—looked up, eying Kiryu's suit. The dog patted another one of his friends on the shoulder, all of them pointing at Kiryu now.

"_Oi!_" the akita called out, as the whole pack of yakuza ran up to Kiryu, Fox staring wide eyed as they approached. "_Chotto matte yo!_"

Kiryu sighed. _Welp, here we go again…_

The group pulled out various weapons. Tonfas, brass knuckles, stun guns… One of them even had a wooden katana draped over his back, his arms hanging off of it as he strutted over with the same yakuza swagger Kiryu recognized from Earth.

"You think you can walk around dressed like that?!" the lead akita said, pointing at Kiryu's suit. "We gotta teach this out of town punk a lesson, boys! This is _our _turf!"

"You're picking a fight with him over his suit?!" Fox kept looking between the yakuza dogs and Kiryu. "Come on, leave him alone!"

"Or what?" One of them, a hyena, laughed at Fox. "Watcha gonna do about it, golden boy?"

Fox growled, reaching for his blaster.

Kiryu held out a hand, blocking Fox. "No, it's okay. I can deal with them." He cracked his knuckles, steeling himself for his four hundred thousandth and ninety-sixth street fight, or so…

"Are you sure?" Fox kept glancing between Kiryu standing alone, and the pack of angry dogs. "This doesn't look like a fair fight!"

"I fight people every fifty meters down the street back home. It's no big deal."

"What?!" Fox's eyes darted about. "Is Earth that dangerous?!"

"Give me half a minute. That's all I need."

**(Yakuza Kiwami OST – Funk Goes On)**

**CORNERIAN YAKUZA**

The dogs surrounded Kiryu, wielding their weapons with menace in their eyes. He had to admit, it looked weird seeing the faces of dogs atop men wearing yakuza suits, especially with how they snarled and growled at him. Regardless, he had been in this situation thousands of times before, so his experience from before took over like it was nothing new.

Kiryu took his eyes off the pack, glancing around the street. _Where's a bicycle? Are there any—oh, there they are. _The bike rack outside of the convenience store across the street was packed with them. Kiryu rushed over to the rack, snatching one right off and holding it above his head, like it weighed nothing. As the dogs closed in around him, he swung it in a wide arc, knocking aside the dogs who were too close. The bicycle's frame and tires became mangled from the impact, so it wouldn't be much good as a weapon for longer. Kiryu smashed it on the head of a bulldog, knocking him to the floor. The bicycle shattered into metallic fragments from the hit, leaving him without a weapon.

That wasn't a problem for long though. The bulldog had dropped his wooden tonfa, so Kiryu scooped it up off the ground. Without missing a beat, he struck another dog on the head and sent him to the pavement. A boxer dog ran at him with a knife, but Kiryu slammed the pommel of his tonfa into the man's stomach, spittle coming out of the dog's muzzle. The knife clattered to the ground. Kiryu capitalized on the man being stunned, as he smashed the tonfa on the back of the boxer's head, sending him to the floor right next to his companion. However, he was without a weapon again, as he'd hit so hard the tonfa's shaft had shattered, leaving him with a useless handle.

A husky charged straight at Kiryu, unleashing a flurry of punches that he bobbed and weaved around, as if he were water in a stream coursing around a rock. When the husky tired himself out from his failed attack, Kiryu gave the dog a knee in the stomach, staggering him. _Next weapon…_ Kiryu spotted a nearby fruit stand, a set of oranges on display. He snatched one right out of the box, shoving it into the husky's mouth, the push so hard the husky fell to the pavement with the fruit still in its mouth. Kiryu stomped on the orange and the husky's face, fresh pressed juice lining the concrete.

As he'd said, all of the dogs were put to the ground in less than thirty seconds.

**REWARD EARNINGS: 300 Cornerian Credits, 14 Strength EXP, 14 Ability EXP, 14 Spirit EXP, 14 Technique EXP, 14 Charm EXP**

The dogs clutched to their fresh injuries as they staggered to their feet, throwing money to the ground as they ran away. "Sorry! So sorry! We'll never do it again!" One of them called out as he fled, hurrying to join his friends.

Kiryu kneeled to collect the bills and pocket change. Funny, he didn't think he'd be doing this too on an alien planet, although the money here was different. He glanced at the bills, showing the face of a bloodhound wearing a general's outfit. The bills declared themselves as Cornerian Bank Credits, legal tender of the Cornerian Federation. Smirking, Kiryu stuffed them in his wallet. _It's like an alternate reality where everyone in Kamurocho has become a dog. _

Kiryu sensed eyes upon him, and turned around to see Fox standing there, his mouth agape. It looked amazingly big, considering he was a canine after all.

"...What?" Kiryu asked.

"Holy shit! You _destroyed _all those guys!" Fox's face was aghast, as he stared at the retreating yakuza. "You're scary, you know that?! Smashing a bicycle on top of a guy! Stuffing an orange in a guy's mouth and stomping on it!"

"Like I say, happens every fifty meters or so down the street." Kiryu shrugged. "I'm used to it. I don't even need a job anymore. Everyone who attacks me throws money at me and runs away, once I finish beating them up."

"Sheesh!" Fox shook his head, staring at the fresh cash in Kiryu's hand. "What did you do to piss off so many people?"

"People fight me over almost anything. I've had people come up to me and go 'I don't like your face!' and throw punches."

Fox couldn't speak for a moment, stunned by Kiryu's words. "How does human society even _function_ if everyone's beating the crap out of each other all the time like that?!"

"It's mostly just me." Kiryu shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I'm an outlier."

Fox didn't seem to know how to process that, so he decided to move on. "Anyway, you look kind of like you know what exactly...this place is." Fox looked around "It's supposed to be some kind of recent development. Dunno why they made it look like this, with how everything is jammed so close together."

"I'm curious too," Kiryu glanced along the street. "It can't be an accident this place looks so much like home to me."

"Well, maybe we'll find out more if we ask the locals. Come on."

The two journeyed through the streets, Kiryu still believing he was in a dream or something. It had so many parallels to the Earth Kamurocho it was uncanny. Many of the restaurants seemed to be knockoffs of the Kamurocho originals, plus he spotted a bowling alley and a batting cage too as they went around.

"Do you guys bowl and play baseball too?" Kiryu asked.

"Uh... I haven't." Fox scratched the back of his head. "Hadn't actually heard of those until they opened in this place."

_So they're new sports here. But did someone invent them here just like ours?_

They came to a pedestrian bridge passing over a commuter railway below. Cones and construction barriers cordoned off a part of the bridge with a broken railing, with various tools, pipes, and other materials for repairing it laying nearby. One of the trains hissed and spit out sparks as it rumbled along the tracks under their feet. Kiryu watched as it passed by, spotting more of these dog people inside, some of them reading the paper while others played games on their phones. Like this was nothing out of the ordinary.

Kiryu and Fox heard a commotion at the other end of the bridge. The thugs from before rushed around the corner, still smarting from their injuries, but now they had someone new in tow. A tall gray wolf stood in the middle of them, a lighter gray coloring his muzzle and the mohawk-like haircut on his head. He wore some sort of strange black bodysuit with a purple vest, purple gloves, and purple boots. The iris on one of his eyes shone as a brilliant purple, but a black eyepatch covered the other one. A huge grin, exaggerated by the size of his muzzle, was plastered across his face.

"You've had it now!" the bulldog from before cradled a big lump on his head, pointing at Kiryu. "The boss is gonna rip you apart!"

Fox jumped in front of Kiryu. "Hey, it's Wolf! He _is _behind the yakuza, after all!" The vulpine drew his blaster, flipping a switch on the side. "Let me handle this Kiryu." The vulpine raised his weapon. "Okay, Wolf! Come quietly, if you know what's good for you! Don't make me zap you with a stun bolt!"

Wolf remained still where he was, the big grin frozen upon his face. Kiryu had never met Cornerians until today, but something about that smile felt off...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**(Star Fox Zero OST – Star Wolf Theme)**

The wolf man broke ranks with his minions, strutting with a casual swagger towards Kiryu and Fox, as another train passed under the bridge. Kiryu scrutinized him as he approached. So far, this wolf was the tallest Cornerian canine he'd met, almost the same as Kiryu in height.

"I said freeze Wolf!" Fox clutched his blaster tighter.

Wolf broke into a sprint, charging straight for Fox. The vulpine opened fire with blaster bolts, but a strange hexagonal shield popped up around Wolf, deflecting the shots away. Instead of fighting Fox, the lupine shoved him aside, knocking him to the concrete.

A startled look crossed Fox's face as he climbed to his feet. "You're ignoring me?!"

Without missing a beat, Wolf ran right at Kiryu, that malicious smile never once leaving his face. Though surprised, Kiryu reacted by reflex, throwing a kick at the incoming lupine's face. But his foot only met air, as Wolf dropped to his knees and slid underneath the attack.

**WOLF O'DONNELL**

**LEADER OF STAR WOLF**

The wolf jumped back up to his feet and spun around behind Kiryu, assuming a stance with one fist close to the face, the other fist held lower and to the side. _Strange… _Kiryu raised his own fists. _I recognize that stance. Oh well, if Okami-san wants a fight, he's got it. _

Kiryu stepped forward and threw a punch at the smirking wolf's face. He thought for sure it would connect...but the lupine stepped to the side ever so slightly, enough for Kiryu fist to tickle canine's nose hairs. A strong arm latched around Kiryu's neck, the lupine pulling him in tight. Kiryu gasped, his breathing cut off. Even with both hands around his opponent's arm, he couldn't pull hard enough to break free. Giving up, Kiryu went for an elbow to the lupine's side. Wolf released his grip, giving Kiryu enough time to grab one of his arms and pull...hard enough to hear a crack. The lupine grunted, but Kiryu wasn't done, throwing him over the shoulder by his arm. With most people he used that move on, his opponent would slam into the pavement on their back, but this guy was slippery. The wolf turned his fall into a roll, springing back to a stand. The two of them squared off again.

_Looks like things work here the same way they do back home. Whoever the boss is, he earned his place there by fighting his way to the top. _

The lupine made small hops to the left and right, as if daring Kiryu to attack again. Despite being such a big burly guy, this wolf seemed to be light on his feet, almost dancing from side to side. _I should lighten my step too. _Releasing a long breath, Kiryu hopped on his feet a couple of times, getting his blood and energy circulating through his whole body, raising his fists closer to his face. Kiryu closed the gap with a lunge, unleashing a flurry of jabs at his opponent.

But the wolf countered by raising his arms to block, tanking the hits and taking a step back, before replying back with a long straight punch. Kiryu sidestepped, but his opponent turned the momentum from his fist into a spin, throwing a roundhouse kick straight for Kiryu's head. Kiryu's eyes widened, barely getting his head out of the way as the wolf's boot brushed along his sideburns. He raised his head back up, ready to strike. The wolf had turned too far, his back to Kiryu now.

The seasoned yakuza smirked, thinking he'd get a free hit in….until the wolf kept his momentum going with a _second _spin, using his _other _leg to aim another roundhouse kick at Kiryu's head. _Two kicks in a row! _Kiryu cried out as the kick slammed into his side, knocking him backwards and into the pedestrian bridge's railing. As Kiryu pulled his head up, the wolf beckoned him with an open palm, that big grin still on his face.

Grunting, Kiryu pulled himself back into a stand.

_This guy seems to know my style. And I feel like I've fought him before too, even though he's a space wolf..._

The two faced off again, the wolf's shiny purple eye upon Kiryu. Carried by the wind, an aluminum can clattered down the bridge, the only sound besides Kiryu's labored breathing. It collided with one of the nearby construction barriers, getting stuck there. Fox watched on one end of the bridge and Wolf's thugs stood on the other side, all quiet as they waited to see what the next move would be...

...until the silence was broken by the sound of humming, the sound of boots scruffing on dirty pavement as somebody turned the corner, venturing onto the bridge behind Fox. He revealed himself as a tall wolf, dark gray fur with a lighter gray muzzle and mohawk, wearing a black bodysuit with a purple vest, purple gloves, and purple boots. The wolf had a cigarette between his fingers, stopping his humming for a moment to take a long drag and exhale smoke. He had an eyepatch over one eye, with a notch cut out of one of his pointed ears—_wait, what?! Another Wolf O'Donnell? _Kiryu lowered his fists, astonished.

At long last the lupine seemed to notice he was the center of attention, looking at everybody staring at him. He raised an eyebrow. "...um…? Fox?" And then he saw the first Wolf O'Donnell, startled. "What the shit?!"

"Two of them?!" Fox glanced back and forth between the two O'Donnells. "Which one is the real one?!"

The first Wolf laughed. It was a high pitched laugh, one that resonated a _lot _with many past memories of Kiryu's…

"Wha?" Fox took a step back from the first Wolf, unnerved by the sound. "That doesn't sound like Wolf…"

Kiryu's eyes widened. _No way… _He spun back around, facing the first Wolf.

The first Wolf grabbed his neck…and pulled off his head. The laughter continued as the man inside tossed the Wolf mask to the ground. Revealing himself, under the mask was a Japanese man with a haircut just above his ears, the rest shaven away. Most prominently, he had on a black eyepatch with a silver snake…

"Majima-san?" Kiryu relaxed his stance. "What are you doing here?!"

Majima belted out another one of his signature laughs. "Oh, what are the odds I'd meet you here of all places, Kiryu-chan?" He continued to discard the rest of his outfit, letting the pieces fall to the ground.

Kiryu grimaced. "Knowing you, I bet you planned this whole thing. Like that fake zombie apocalypse. Hiroya-san was in on this, wasn't he?"

"Exactamundo, Kiryu-chan!" Majima laughed as he finished taking off the fur suit. He still wore his traditional snakeskin jacket and tight leather pants. Oddly though, he left on the pawed gloves, and removed the pointy wolf ears from the mask, revealing they were mounted to a separate head piece. Majima put them on his head, still giggling like a schoolgirl as he adjusted them.

"Umm...what are you doing?" Kiryu raised his eyebrow.

"Didn't you like my fursona?!" Majima cackled, as he waved his 'paws' around. "I spent over a million yen having my costume made! I should be a dog right? I am the Mad Dog of Shimano, after all!"

Kiryu grimaced. "...I'm afraid to ask, but what's a fursona?"

"Oh, didn't you know on Earth dressing up like animals has been a thing on the Internet for the past couple decades? People even invent their own animal personas! Fursona, see? They call themselves furries! I only found out about it myself recently, so I thought it might be fun to create my own! And they even have big conventions where they all get together to meet!"

"And...why do these people do this? What is the point?" Kiryu had to admit he was too old to be trying to keep up with current trends younger people obsessed over, but he could not fathom why something like furries would be popular enough to have a name and community surrounding it.

"Ha!" Majima let out a cackle. "Oh you poor innocent thing Kiryu-chan! So blissfully unaware! Heck, the artwork furries create makes even the craziest things you see at the porn shop look like something you could show your mother! How about show you and-"

"Hold it, you two!" A harsh guttural voice ended the conversation, both of the humans turning to face the actual Wolf O'Donnell. He strutted over with that cigarette still between his fingers, the fumes wafting in the breeze. "Now who are you two?" He glared at Majima. "And you! Snakeskin baldskin man! Why the hell are you dressed up like me?!"

"What are you talking about? I came up with this on my own!" Majima picked up the mask, shaking it at Wolf. "See?!"

Wolf rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure you copied all of that, down to the last detail." He waved at his black bodysuit and purple vest over it. "Like, exact."

"Okay fine, I admit it!" Majima laughed. "I was surprised to find out Lylat had a notorious criminal who's got an eyepatch, like me! And a canine at that! I feel like we're kindred spirits, Wolf!"

Wolf scoffed. "Hmph, a fan." He smirked, casting a glance at Fox. "Is this what it feels like, McCloud? To have adoring fans like this?"

Fox's ears curled back. "...yes."

Kiryu sensed there was a lot more Fox could've said, but he was keeping quiet. Did it have something to do with those things Majima-san said furries did at conventions?

"Anyway," Majima turned back to Kiryu, resuming his familiar stance again. "Whaddaya say we throw down again, huh Kiryu-chan?"

"Like you'd let me say no, after you went to all this trouble." Kiryu sighed. "All right, let's get this overwith..."

**(Yakuza Kiwami OST – Receive You The Prototype)**

Majima laughed, throwing aside his snakeskin jacket to the pavement and pulling out a familiar knife, glowing with a purple aura.

In one motion, Kiryu grabbed his red shirt and suit jacket, also tossing them to the side. He raised his fists again, staring at Majima as his rival also faced him down, blade ready at the go.

**GORO MAJIMA**

**TOJO CLAN, PATRIARCH OF THE MAJIMA FAMILY**

Kiryu went on the attack, charging forward as he unleashed a flurry of punches towards Majima, the skinnier man stepping back to elude the assault. Majima threw his arm back, going into a twirl as he spun his knife around like the deadly blades of a helicopter, coming straight towards Kiryu. However, Kiryu had seen this move many times before, easily jumping backwards to avoid being sliced.

With a cry, Majima launched himself into a spin in the air, bringing his knife down hard upon Kiryu. Kiryu slid backwards...until he realized he didn't have any more room. He collided with one of the construction barriers behind him, sending a stack of pipes behind it clanging to the ground. Majima's knife nicked one of Kiryu's arms, Kiryu hissing as he felt the blood sliding along his arm. Cackling, Majima went for a slice across Kiryu's chest.

_CLANG!_

Majima recoiled backwards, stunned for a moment. Kiryu had grabbed one of the pipes from the stack, and used it to block the knife strike. While Majima was off balance, Kiryu swung the pipe around, a sickening smack as it collided with the side of Majima's torso. The pipe bent at a forty-five degree angle from the impact, as Majima flew backwards into the railing on the other side of the pedestrian bridge. To everyone's surprise but Kiryu's, instead of howling in pain or keeling over, Majima smiled, a little blood seeping out of his mouth as rose back up to a stand.

"Well done, Kiryu-chan!"

Kiryu smirked, throwing the bent pipe at Majima. Majima ducked underneath, laughing again as he closed the distance for his next strike.

~X~

Fox and Wolf stood side by side, watching the fight, Wolf had an amused expression on his face, while Fox stared blankly, stunned by the prowess and durability of these two humans.

"Wolf, this isn't happening right now, is it?" Fox's eyes could scarcely keep up as he watched the two humans bob and weave, Majima doing crazy moves like backflips and high kicks while Kiryu replied with fast footwork and quick punches.

"Oh no, it is." Wolf had his arms crossed, observing with a smirk on his face. He dropped the cigarette to the ground and rubbed it out under his boot. " Why's Majima called the Mad Dog of Shimano though? He's not a dog. Hehe, like his style though." Majima's knife swings were like art, smooth and elegant as the purple-tinged blade sliced through the air. "Wish I could use a knife like that. Even Leon would be jealous."

"I don't get it." The two kept watching, Fox with a befuddled look on his face. "Fake zombie apocalypse? And why take off your shirts? Those are some elaborate tattoos too… I thought Krystal's were something, but that detail is insane!"

The dragon on Kiryu's back almost seemed alive as he fought Majima, twisting and bending like it was thrashing around at some kind of prey.

"Hey Fox," Wolf laughed, a thump to his side. "What do you say we join in?"

"Wha—whoa!" Fox jumped out of the way as Wolf's claws slashed where he'd been standing.

Wolf laughed, taking a feral-looking stance as he held up his clawed hands. In the short time he'd been looking away, the lupine had also removed his shirt, his muscles rippling underneath his gray fur, leaving no clothing chest up besides the purple bandana around his neck.

Fox's eyes widened at the display, his own rival towering over him. "Huh, you wanna do this?!"

"Why not? You don't need space fighters to have a good fight!"

Fox reached for his blaster.

"Really Fox?" Wolf tsked tsked, waving his finger. "I thought you were supposed to be the hero! You're gonna shoot an unarmed man?!" He gestured to his holster and blaster, also on the ground next to his vest and shirt. "How could you?!" The lupine's voice dripped with mock disapproval. "For shame, Foxy!"

Grumbling, Fox put his blaster away. "All right, fine. But I'm not taking off my damn shirt!" He raised his arms, hopping back and forth on his feet, his tail bobbing behind him.

Wolf charged forward, throwing his arm out, his claws moving so fast they left distortions in the air. Fox wasn't afraid though, knowing he was the faster of the two. He turned his head to the left, the claws brushing his fur and taking a few strands away. Leaping over Wolf, Fox took a step on his shoulder as he passed by. A light pole stood tall behind the lupine, Fox using one foot to bounce off of it and the other to deliver a kick straight to Wolf's head. The lupine didn't have time to turn around as the hit connected, sending him staggering away as he put a hand to his head.

Though he was grumbling, Wolf had a smirk on his face as he rubbed the blood away from his jaw. "Nice moves, kiddo. Got any more?"

"Plenty." Fox raised up his fist. "Let's do thi-"

Something collided with Fox, sending him to the pavement. It turned out to be Kiryu, having been slammed into the guardrail again by one of Majima's attacks. The vulpine scrambled to his feet, as Wolf grinned, waving his claws at the smaller canine. Meanwhile, Majima closed in on Kiryu, twirling the knife as easily as any knife thrower at a carnival.

"You know Majima…" Wolf said as an aside. "I thought you were talking shit before, but now I agree. We _are _kindred spirits. Diggin' that snake design on your eyepatch, by the way."

"Your eyepatch ain't so bad either! A wolf wearing an eyepatch! What could be more badass than that?" Majima laughed, as the two of them cornered Fox and Kiryu by the guardrail, threatening them with a thirty foot drop to the train tracks below. "Whaddaya say we take these two out together?"

"Sounds good to me! Maybe you can even join Star Wolf!"

"Nah, I'd rather have _you_ join the Majima family!"

Wolf's grin vanished, as he looked over at Majima. "No way, I'm in charge."

Now it was Majima giving the stink eye. "I don't think so, ya mutt, in fact..."

The two of them bickered with each other, ignoring both Kiryu and Fox as their voices rose in volume, both of them making all sorts of threats against each other and their respective organizations.

"Hey, Fox…" Kiryu whispered.

Fox looked up. "Wha-AAAAH!"

Kiryu grabbed Fox by the hand and swung him around like a sack of potatoes, Fox screaming the whole way with his jaw wide open. Wolf and Majima looked up in time to have Fox's boot connect with their heads, sending them to the ground together.

Meanwhile Kiryu dropped Fox back on his feet, the vulpine with a furious expression on his face. "Hey! What'd you do that for?!" He hissed as he soothed the arm Kiryu had grabbed. For a moment there, it felt like it was going to pop out of its socket.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Kiryu smiled, turning back to their opponents. "Anyway, let's worry about it after the fight."

Wolf and Majima climbed back to their feet, the lupine looking a lot more pissed. "Why you…! Stupid baldskin!" Wolf picked up one of the pipes that had rolled away from the construction area, charging Kiryu as he swung the pipe wildly. Kiryu juked left and right, avoiding the incoming swings. Furious, Wolf swung faster and harder, but compared to Majima his form was sloppy, each blow telegraphed by him throwing his arm back for more force. Kiryu ducked underneath another swing, crouched on the ground.

"I've got you now!" Wolf got a sick grin on his face, pulling the pipe back for an overhead slam.

Kiryu spun around while crouched, doing a low sweep kick on Wolf's feet, knocking him to the ground, sending the pipe clattering across the concrete.

Smirking, Kiryu rose to his feet, but Fox spotted Majima creeping up behind Kiryu, knife in hand. "Look out, Kiryu!"

Fox rushed towards Kiryu, jumping in the air and placing a foot on Kiryu's shoulder. He used it as a springboard to jump again, aiming a drop kick right at Majima. The eyepatched human looked up, wide eyed as Fox flew towards him like a missile. While the vulpine was small and light, the extra height gave him more force as he descended, both boots plowing straight into Majima's bare chest, sending him to the ground. Fox rebounded away, pulling a backflip to land on his feet.

The vulpine let out a breath, grinning. While he preferred his Arwing, he had to admit going back to the most barebones form of combat was a nice change of pace.

Majima laughed, wiping some blood away from his mouth as he climbed back to his feet. "Not bad, Foxu-chan!" He brandished the knife in his hands, stalking towards the smaller vulpine. "Now how about we try that agai-"

In the blink of an eye, Fox backflipped, his leg kicking out as he did so.

Majima took it straight to the chin, staggering backwards and almost falling over again. He groaned, holding onto his mouth where he'd been hit. "Damn, you're fast!" Majima mumbled, the words garbled he kept a hand over his mouth. "Shoulda figured, with you bein' a fox and all! I need to stop playing around…"

Majima put the knife away...only to replace it with a baseball bat. Fox's eyes widened as he watched Majima twirl it around as easily as if it were a baton, grinning the whole way.

~X~

On the other end of the bridge, Wolf lunged at Kiryu, his claws slicing through the air. Kiryu had already picked up some gashes on his bare skin from the attacks, hot blood intermixing with his sweat. Compared to human opponents who attacked while upright, Wolf seemed to prefer leaning forward and lunging with his long arms. Kiryu found himself on the defensive, leaping backwards lest he take a claw to the calf. _What a strange stance! Hard to counter with punches, since he's keeping his body low. Normally that would slow down a human, but it doesn't seem to be a problem for him. It's like being attacked by a rabid dog trying to bite you in the leg!_

Kiryu took another step back, only to find his foot meet the guardrail at the edge of the bridge. He was trapped, and Wolf knew it. The lupine grinned as he took another swing with those claws. Thinking fast, Kiryu grasped the railing and leaned backwards, both of his legs leaving the ground as Wolf cut clean through where they had been a split second before. Though he teetered over the train tracks far below, Kiryu was cool and confident, a smirk on his face. _Too close now_. As his momentum swung back, Kiryu brought the back of his foot down hard...right on the back of Wolf's head. The canine faceplanted muzzle first into the pavement, crying out and rolling to the side as he pawed at his bloody nose.

With the wolf momentarily dispatched, Kiryu looked up to see how Fox was doing. Majima had put away the knife and pulled out his trademark bat, and was trying to bash the poor vulpine's skull in with much gusto. Fox didn't seem to be in much danger though, as he damn near flashstepped all around Majima to avoid the blows. Even though Majima was quick himself, he seemed to be no match for the space fox's speed. Kiryu's eyes had trouble keeping up with the movements, even with his practiced eye.

Then in an instant, it was over. Majima went falling head over heels, as Fox seemed to flash step _through _him. One instant Fox was crouching in front of Majima, and in the other he crouched _behind_ him, Majima now flat on the pavement.

Kiryu walked over, as Fox dusted off his flight suit. "That was rad! What move was that?"

"Oh, that?" Fox gave a sideways smirk. "I call it the Fox Illusion."

_Hmm...Essence of Fox Illusion. I wonder if I could learn it too...but these space animals seem to be able to do things a human could not. Not to mention I'm over fifty now… _

Kiryu heard a groan behind him, seeing Wolf start to get to his feet. And on the other side, Majima appeared to be getting up as well. Fox and Kiryu exchanged a look with each other, the two of them nodding. They broke out into a sprint, running past each other to their respective rivals.

While Wolf tried to stand, Fox planted one of his feet to the ground while unleashing a flurry of kicks, battering him with the blows. Then spinning around, Fox gave one final hard kick, knocking Wolf straight over the bridge's railing. A loud clang sounded from below. Fox hurried over to look, seeing Wolf had fallen on the roof of a passing train...that was now carrying him away from the fight. Growling, Wolf leaped to his feet, running with all his might to get back to the bridge, but the train was moving too fast for him to make it. Wolf tripped over a gap between the cars. Shaking his fist, he swore and shouted all kinds of obscenities that were soon out of earshot, soon disappearing around a bend as the commuter train pulled away.

Meanwhile, Kiryu unleashed a powerful uppercut under Majima's chin, sending him flying into the air. "ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Kiryu wasn't done, slamming Majima with a flurry of punches that kept him airborne from their force alone. He paused to take a breath, Majima hanging in the air, before Kiryu unleashed one final uppercut. "ORAAAAA!"

Majima went flying, smashing through the nearby construction barrier and shattering it to pieces, the bits clattering all over the ground. He wasn't moving anymore, aside from his heaving chest.

**REWARD EARNINGS: 10,000 Cornerian Credits, 300 Strength EXP, 300 Ability EXP, 300 Spirit EXP, 300 Technique EXP, 300 Charm EXP**

~X~

"Good grief…" Fox breathed hard, his hands on his knees. He looked out of breath and exhausted. "And I thought the bicycle and the orange were over the top…"

"You didn't do too bad yourself with the train." Kiryu smirked at Fox, rotating his arm as if he'd got done with a relaxing exercise.

The two of them looked at Majima still lying in the middle of the shattered barrier.

"So...uh…" Fox breathed hard. "What about him?"

"He'll be okay. We do this all the time." Kiryu walked away for a moment to collect his shirt and jacket, checking his watch. "He'll probably be back up in about...now."

Majima let out his laugh again, albeit this time it sounded a little more pained. Nonetheless, he wobbled back to a stand before long. "Hahah! Now that was fun, Kiryu-chan!" He went to grab his snakeskin jacket.

"Only you would follow me to the other end of the galaxy to have a fight, Majima-san…" Kiryu rolled his eyes, doing his best to clean the dust off his jacket.

Majima called out to the Cornerian yakuza who were still nearby. "You guys can go home now! See ya later!" With a huff, the mob of nicely-dressed dogs dispersed. "So…" Majima fluffed his snakeskin jacket, making sure it was straightened out. "Now that we've all had a workout, who's up for going out to eat? Replenishing some lost calories? I'll treat!"

Kiryu smirked, as he slipped his jacket back on over his shirt. "Sounds good Majima. You'll have to show me around though. I don't know any of the restaurants here."

"No problem, Kiryu-chan!"

"Uh…wha?" Fox stared at the two humans, his jaw dropped. "You two were beating the life out of each other before, and now you wanna grab something to eat together? It's almost like…like you're friends."

"In a sense…we kind of are." Kiryu grinned at Majima. "We just have our own way of expressing our friendship."

Fox seemed at a loss for words.

Kiryu shrugged. "Let me explain. This is every day for us, really. I go into the corner shop. Majima watches me look at the magazines through the window. We fight. I'm headed somewhere out to eat. He jumps out of a manhole. We fight. I go to the club. He's dancing in there. We fight. He dresses up like a cop and frisks me for weapons. We fight. He dresses up like a hostess and tries to woo me. We fight. Heck, he's even challenged me at MesuKing and bowling."

Fox's eyebrow raised higher and higher as Kiryu kept listing their battles, especially the last few…

"It's been so many times, I stopped counting after about the seventeenth time, but…" Kiryu did some math on his fingers. "It must have been over fifty times now."

"_Fifty?!_" Fox looked ready to collapse. "I get tired thinking about it."

"So yeah," Kiryu looked back to Majima. "Where can we eat, Majima-san?"

Majima let out a cackling laugh. "As a matter of fact, Kiryu-chan, I know a nice little ramen shop over at the next train stop, if you wanna check it out. You can come with us too Fox. I don't mind paying for you too!"

"Heh, seems like they have everything here we do back home." Kiryu smirked. "Sounds good. Let's go."

Fox stared, befuddled as the two aliens walked away while chatting, but threw up his hands and followed. He supposed what was said was as good an explanation as he was going to get. Were _all _humans like this though? Did they all fight each other _because _they were friends and not the other way around? What a crazy species!

As they left the bridge though, he noticed something on the ground. A black bodysuit, a vest, a blaster and- _Oh, it's Wolf's things. _Fox picked them up, wrapping the blaster with Wolf's bodysuit. He sniffed them. _Man, these stink, but I can't leave his gun lying around. Better take it all with me. _

~X~

After Fox caught up with Kiryu and Majima, the three of them walked over to the nearby train platform. With a whistle, the train soared into the station and came to a stop in front of them, the doors opening wide to reveal a familiar face.

"Wolf?!" Fox said.

The lupine looked out of breath and sweaty, not to mention dirtied with dust, oil, blood, and mud all over him. He was cradling his injury from when he'd fallen shoulder first onto the roof of the train, while his chest heaved. "I thought these commuter trains were slow. Had no idea how quick they were till I tried running faster than one…" His ears flicked up, as he realized Kiryu, Majima, and Fox were all standing beside each other without any fists flying. "Huh? Why aren't you fighting each other now? What'd I miss?"

"I'm as confused as you Wolf." Fox shrugged. His ears shot up with realization. "Hey, wasn't I supposed to take you in?!"

The two looked like they were about to fight again, barging up to each other, but Majima stepped between them.

"Don't worry your fuzzy little heads about it! Foxu-chan, it sounds like all this trouble started because I made my costume look like Wolf's I was only causing trouble to lure Kiryu out, so now my guys'll stand down and everything will be fine! I'm a legitimate business man, you know! Come on, let's get on the train! I'll say more on the way!"

The four of them boarded, taking seats next to each other, as it smoothly glided away from the stop. Though they got some curious glances from other passengers, they were left alone. Meanwhile Fox gave Wolf his garments back, letting him put them back on so he wouldn't be running around the city half naked. Not that some of the ladies (and a couple of men) on the train seemed to mind admiring his figure...

Majima pulled out a small silver case, removing a gold-colored business card and presenting it to Fox with the utmost precision, as if he were a salaryman. Kiryu found it funny watching him do it. The card displayed the Majima clan symbol along the top.

"Uh…" Fox was confused as he took the card and looked at it. "Majima Construction? You do...construction?"

"_Nani?!" _Kiryu swiped the card from Fox, looking at it in disbelief. "You expanded your business to Lylat too?!"

"Oh, you're good Kiryu-chan!" Majima did his mocking little laugh again. "I built this whole neighborhood! We're calling it Little Kamurocho!"

Kiryu looked around in disbelief as all of the buildings slid past the train window. To think everything he saw before him was due to the will of Majima-san… "How did you get the money to do all of this?! I would've struggled to do it even back in the eighties during the bubble!"

Majima gave a sly grin. "Well, you remember Mr. Shakedown? Hiroya-san? You know how fast he got his money shaking people down back then, right? Now imagine how much money he's managed to get in three decades!"

Kiryu thought he'd be surprised...but he wasn't. It all made sense now.

"So you're saying you beat Hiroya-san, you got all his money, you started your own space program-or rather, you took over his-and you did all of this?!"

"Oh yeah, Kiryu-chan! I'm richer than Avon Hertz now!" Majima drummed his finger on the nearby train car pole, as he checked his smartphone.

"Are all humans as crazy as you two?" Fox asked. He looked at Wolf. "Kiryu said they've fought each other over _fifty _times!"

Wolf found himself stunned by the number, but a mad gleam came to his eye as he looked at Fox. "Is that so?" The lupine slammed a fist into his palm. "We're slacking off Fox! We need to play catch up! I want to have at least a _hundred_ fights with you now! Also, I might start calling you Foxu-chan now! I think it's an adorable nickname, don't you?"

Fox groaned, leaning back into his chair.

"You know...I realize I haven't even asked you two what your story is." Kiryu leaned over. "Why do you two fight each other?"

"Oh, him and me?" Wolf smirked. "We've fought each other a lot too over the years, except we do it with space fighters! We've battled over Venom, and we also fought the Aparoid bugs and kept them from assimilating the system! We've done it all!"

_Foxes and wolves flying fighter jets, fighting bugs in outer space… Now I've heard of everything. _Kiryu rolled his eyes. "Sounds like something out of Fantasy Zone or Space Harrier…"

"What are those things?" Fox asked.

"Eh, some old Sega arcade games from the eighties. Don't worry too much about it."

"Heh, maybe we could have our own games too, Fox!" Wolf nudged him in the shoulder.

"Ah get real…" Fox shoved him away. "Saving Lylat's enough for me. I don't need my own game."

"Hehe!" Majima laughed. "What about us, Kiryu-chan? Maybe someone could pick up _our _story and make it a game!"

Kiryu found the idea amusing, although he shook his head. "Nah, I don't want that kind of attention." _Not to mention doing voice acting for that _yaoi _game left a bad taste in my mouth…_

"Oh well, maybe _I _can bankroll it!" Majima laughed. "In a couple of days, I'm going to be even richer. Soon I'll be headed back to Earth for a special event, and I want you to be there Kiryu-chan! Da da da Da da DAAAAAAAAAH!" He pulled a flyer out of his jacket and handed it to Kiryu.

What Kiryu saw there shocked him so much he dropped the flyer, and picked it back up again, glancing between Majima and the paper. "No! No no no…" Kiryu shook his head. "This _has _to be another one of your pranks. Even _you _couldn't do this!"

Majima still had a huge shit-eating grin on his face, as he watched Kiryu process what he'd read. "Wait a few more days, _then_ tell me I'm kidding…"

~X~

"Goro Majima, I speak for all of Japan when I say how honored it was you who made peaceful first contact with an alien race. Japan is now the first country on earth to have contacted an alien race, and our prominence has been boosted to astronomical levels on the world stage again." The man shook hands with Majima.

"Oh don't worry your tits about it!" Majima's cackling laugh echoed through the room. "It was nothing! I did it because I felt like it!"

The other man was the _Japanese prime minister_.

Kiryu watched off to the side, facepalming the hardest face palm of all time.

The three of them stood in the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City, where Majima was about to speak to the entire world. Well, not only the world, but also the Lylat System, as this was being broadcast there as well. This was considered by many across both systems to be a momentous occasion, heralding an entirely new era where two new civilizations would learn more about each other and hopefully grow together in a peaceful, productive relationship.

Majima still wore his damn snakeskin jacket, and hadn't even bothered to put on a shirt under it.

"Are you ready for the ceremony?" A brown hare in a red general's uniform asked Majima. Fox had introduced him to Kiryu earlier as his godfather, Peppy Hare. Another original name straight from Corneria.

Majima laughed, clenching his fists. "You betcha! Let's get this shit goiiiiiiing!" He strutted his way towards the podium, not even caring as he shoved aside a poor intern.

All of the world leaders and bureaucrats nearby shuffled around awkwardly as they watched Majima's vulgar speech and actions, but did their best to put on smiles for the occasion. Language should have been a barrier, but Majima had opened a contract with a Lylatian manufacturer to create universal translators for people on Earth, and everybody here was wearing one of them. Just another one of his new businesses he'd opened since going to Lylat.

The Mad Dog of Shimano stepped up to the podium, before billions of people, and accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, along with a separate medal from Peppy. Majima spoke at the podium, his words sounding more like shrieks at times, people in the audience visibly recoiling back as his voice caused scratchy feedback in the sound system. Everyone in the audience looked at each other...some of them suppressing laughs, some looking on in horror, while others expressed disgust and shook their heads.

Kiryu meanwhile stood off to the side stiffly, his hands folded behind his back as he watched the spectacle unfold. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would see something like this...Majima of all people being credited as bringing peace and prosperity to Earth.

Meanwhile Kiryu glanced at a television showing a feed from outside. Those 'furry' people Majima mentioned had filled the streets for multiple blocks surrounding the U.N. building, a rainbow kaleidoscope of colors on all of their dog, cat, dragon, goat, or whatever other animal costumes they were wearing. All of them were hoping to get a glance of the real live space animals in the building, and were barely being held back by security outside. Though they were only people in costumes, they terrified Kiryu, more so than any army of thugs coming to kill him. He dreaded what it must be like for those guards out there. Kiryu thought Majima was talking nonsense before when he brought up the furry community...

Also, that was another business opportunity Majima had opened. He'd started to organize tours for the furries to Lylat, and they'd sold out within minutes. The tickets were being scalped for close to ten million yen online now.

"Isn't this great?!" Haruka stood beside Kiryu in the best dress she had. "We found aliens, and it turns out they're super cute!" She looked over at the Star Fox team waiting off to the side, also in attendance. "This is like-"

"Zooarium...yeah, I know." Kiryu replied by reflex, not actively listening to her words.

Ever since Kiryu had taken up Hiroya-san's invitation to go to space, he felt like he'd been in a dream he couldn't wake up from. Hiroya's personal space program, the visit to Lylat, the space animals, and finding out Majima had expanded his business to cater to the space animals. But this topped _everything_. Surely none of this was real, right? But he'd pinched his hand so many times it had enough red marks on it to create a solid red rash.

Shaking his head, he facepalmed again...feeling like he was going to leave a centimeters-thick imprint on it with how hard he pressed.

~X~

A week later, Kiryu found himself back in Kamurocho, standing on Tenkachi Street where he had encountered Mr. Shakedown for the first time in three decades. This was where the entire saga had begun, yet everything appeared as normal as it could be. Well, as normal as things could get in Kamurocho with Majima and the other weirdos around, anyway… He gazed up at the night sky, the far off stars twinkling as best as they could under the assault from the lights of Tokyo all around him.

_I went up there, but I can't believe it's true. Or any of that other stuff I saw in Lylat or New York. Surely I'm going to wake up soon, right?_

Oh well. Kamurocho was still here and it wasn't going anywhere, right? _Well, at least until someone launches a scheme to take it over again. Like the vacant lot. Or the Jingweon Mafia. Or, or… _Kiryu shook his head. _All right, bad example. But oh well. If there's a new threat I'm sure I'll get mixed up in the center of it somehow and destroy it, like I always do. Everything's still as it was before. I better go check on Haruka. She's trying to date one of those Lylatians, since she thinks they're all as cute as stuffed animals. Don't know how I feel about her going across the stars on Majima's new starliner to find true love…especially if it's full of those 'furry' people. _

Kiryu shook his head. _What am I thinking? _He looked around the street, watching all of the people walk past as though it was an ordinary night. Which it was. Right? Humanity was still alone in the universe, weren't they? Talk about a bizarre adventure.

As Kiryu departed Tenkachi Street, a cab arrived at the curb by the main strip, a man in a business suit getting out of the car. He had the face of a raccoon dog. The animal paid his cab fare to the driver, who was baffled by the man's appearance, but nonetheless maintained a neutral face and the requisite level of Japanese politeness and professionalism endemic to his job.

"_Arigato_." The raccoon dog man said, his briefcase inscribed with _Y. de Pon _on a brass plate_. _"Can you tell me where the Tojo Clan offices are?"

**Substory #10,462 – To Infinity… END**

_A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the story!_

_I got the idea for it after thinking of what it would be like if Mr. Shakedown, Hiroya Egashira, would do if he actually got together enough money to train in space, like he declared he would do after Kiryu defeated him the fifth time in Yakuza 0. The idea is already absurd, so I didn't think it'd be that much more absurd to say he ended up in the Lylat System, which led to this current story XD It just naturally grew and evolved from there. _

_Also, a fair bit of this story's inspiration was helped along by my own trip to Japan in 2013, which is ironic since this story's all about _leaving _Japan. Regardless, I took all the feelings and memories I had from being there so far away from home, and put them to use when writing this story. A lot of Kiryu's feelings as he sees Corneria City for the first time are also my own from my first morning in Tokyo. Also, it's been so long since I visited Japan, it feels like a dream now and sometimes I can't believe I went there. You can see parallels from this final section with Kiryu too, right? :)_

_After this I should be getting back to Hazardous Contents and the Shoot the Tubes revamp. See you over there!_


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